


Hope

by Halmaithor



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Major Character Undeath, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-29
Updated: 2019-10-29
Packaged: 2021-01-07 21:27:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,321
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21224456
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Halmaithor/pseuds/Halmaithor
Summary: Post-102, ‘Race to the Tower’. An idea of how things might have progressed if the Raven Queen had refused, and Vax never came wandering back to his family in the Feywild.





	Hope

Vax is gone, his body turned to dust, and his soul stands once more in the court of the Raven Queen. He pleads with Her to send him back - ‘My family is in danger,’ he says. ‘The _world_ is in danger.’  
But She has ever been a necessary force in the universe, not a kind one, and his duty is not to Exandria but to Her will. ‘I am sorry, my Champion,’ She says, and he’ll never know if She means it. ‘Some turns of fate are too brittle for even you to bend.’

***

In the Feywild, Vox Machina grieve.

Keyleth tells them that she has an idea, a way to possibly bring him back - but they don’t _have _twenty-five thousand gold’s worth of diamonds right now, nor do they have the means for Scanlan to create them. By the time they acquire all the materials and complete the ritual, it may be too late to stop Vecna doing something truly cataclysmic.  
So instead, they put aside their heartbreak, and swear to return to that plan once Vecna is defeated.

Vex plants a kiss on the Deathwalker’s Ward before it is consigned to the Bag of Holding, whispering a promise into the feathers. _It’s not like he’s in there, _Keyleth thinks - but although her anger is vast, it does not yet outweigh her kindness, and so she says nothing.

***

‘Vox Machina have returned,’ the guard says, and Taryon gets on his broom, hurtling from the castle down to the town itself and landing heavily in the street before his friends. ‘What happened?’ he asks, eyes darting between them all in a rushed headcount. ‘The necklace - I felt -’ He stops short as his brain catches up to his terrified heart, and he realises who’s missing.

Vex steps forward. ‘Darling, I know you wanted to return home,’ she says, and her eyes are a little shinier than normal, but her voice is steady and determined. ‘But this is worse than we thought. And we need your help.’

Once they return to the castle, the whole story of their venture to Thar Amphala is told, and Taryon’s fear grows with each word. For all his posturing and ego, he doesn’t feel like a hero at this moment, just a foolish child who went looking for adventure and is now in severe danger of biting off far more than he can chew.  
But he _isn’t_ a child. He’s a member of Vox Machina, and right now his best friend is looking at him with a thousand worlds of pain in her eyes, asking his help.

He inhales as much courage as he can, and puts on his most dashing smile. ‘Well, it seems we have a new quest, friends. Now, we simply need a plan.’

***

Their plan feels haphazard as always, and their hearts are filled with vengeance, grief, and desperation. But they do what they can to gather strength and allies, and the days pass far too quickly for a team who already feel like they’re running out of time.

Somewhere along the way, Scanlan finds himself sitting alone, absentmindedly humming to himself and turning over the vial of Vax’s ashes in his hands. Even with all the time they’re putting into this preparation, all they’re risking for this, it’s hard to imagine that it’s going to be enough. ‘Definitely wouldn’t hurt to have one more champion on our side, though,’ he says quietly, staring down at the vial. ‘Wish we had a way to just bring you back already.’

Perhaps it’s the sheer depth of feeling behind those words, or perhaps it’s the recent blessing of the Knowing Mistress, but even as he speaks he can feel magic swirling within. Powerful magic, more than his usual fare - too much to contain, and even though he has no idea what’s going on right now his hand flies up on instinct to release it.

With a flash of white light, a huge glass boulder appears on the ground before him, and he yelps and jumps to his feet. ‘What the _fuck?!_’

A few seconds pass, and his heart hammers in his ears. He glances around, but there’s nowhere around him that this boulder could have come from - and besides, he _knows _where it came from, he _felt _the magic leave him and conjure it.  
He gingerly takes a step forward, putting his hand out to touch the cool, smooth surface. As he moves, the rock catches the light in a familiar way, and he gasps. _It’s not glass_, he realises. It’s the biggest fucking diamond he’s ever seen.

The pieces click into place. _**Wish** we had a way to bring you back. _They need diamond for the ritual, the one Keyleth was talking about - ‘Keyleth!’ he yells, as loud as he can. ‘_Keyleth!__’_

The rest of the party come sprinting towards the sound of his voice, slowing in confusion when they see the rock before him. ‘Good gods, what is _that_?’, asks Percy.  
‘It’s a diamond,’ Vex answers automatically, staring in bewilderment even as her keen treasurer’s eyes recognise the precious stone.

Scanlan laughs out loud, because her confirmation means he was _right_, means that this might work. ‘Yes, and I’d say it’s worth around twenty-five thousand gold, wouldn’t you, Vex?’  
‘I mean, with the size of it, probably-’ She cuts herself off, eyes widening, and Scanlan’s grin grows as he watches realisation dawn on the faces of the others, too.

_We’re bringing him back._

***

The Raven Queen watches the golden glow dance before Her as the threads of Fate rearrange themselves. _Wish_, She thinks, shaking Her head. _Changer of so many destinies. Strange that mortals should have such power.  
_The threads twist further still, wrapping around each other like ivy and rising up - before they begin to fan out again, diverging and contorting like the branches of an ancient tree.

She hums thoughtfully as the glow fades from Her sight, then blinks, summoning Her Champion to Her side. ‘Do you hear them?’ She asks him.

His look of confusion shifts to one of pain and longing as he listens for a moment, the voices of his loved ones reaching him once again. ’I hear them,’ he says, voice barely above a whisper. ‘Why can I hear them?’  
‘Because they attempt to summon you back to their side. This is no idle chatter, but the sound of resurrection, Vax’ildan.’  
He looks down, and She feels his hopeless grief. ‘They can’t. My body was destroyed - there’s nothing for me to go back to.’

She steps down towards him, falling into Her human shape. _He does not know he can go back_, She thinks. _I could keep him here._

But the moment of temptation quickly fades. The threads have already been woven, and it is no foul parody of life his loved ones attempt to bring him into. His duty is to Her, but Hers is to Fate - and though it be through mortal voices and arcane power, Fate has spoken.

She reaches forward, gently lifting his chin until She can see the tears in his eyes. ‘You will return to me soon enough, my Champion,’ She murmurs, mostly as comfort to Herself. He seems to register what She says, but before the shock on his face even has time to bloom into joy, She kisses his forehead and he vanishes.  
Her regret is soothed by the silence of Fate around Her, disturbed but yet unbroken.

***

Vax rises.  
(Nothing is promised, but witnessing one miracle is enough to make them believe that they may be granted another. _Perhaps we stand a chance_, hope whispers in their hearts.)

Vecna falls.  
(It is not without cost, but battling nightmares has long since taught them how to repair and rebuild in the morning. _If we are strong enough to defeat that, we are strong enough to fix ourselves, _hope whispers in their hearts.)

(Hope is wiser than all the gods.)

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading, let me know what you thought!
> 
> Find me on tumblr:   
silver-latin-and-salt.tumblr.com


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